Thursday, 10 October 2013

Oranmiyan… When Ile-Ife stood still to celebrate 6th Ooni

By Ante Ajeluorou

It was Saturday, September 28, 2013 at the palace
of Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, Ooni of Ife, and the
surrounding streets and avenues were filled with noble citizens of Ile-Ife, who
had trouped out in their thousands to celebrate one of their warrior obas, the
legendary Oranmiyan, son of Oduduwa and the 6th Ooni of Ife. From the festive mood that pervaded the air, it was
clear that Oranmiyan was an ancient monarch, who still occupied a significant
place in the hearts of Ife people and the Yoruba race at large.

Although
festivities celebrating Oranmiyan had been held in low key these years, it was
not until Flabsy Travel and Tours Ltd came into the picture as Oranmiyan
Festival Consultants that things took turns for the better. With this outing,
which lasted from September 26 – 28, Ile-Ife people can now look forward to
Oranmiyan Festival gaining the status of a world-class festival in no distant
time.

At the
height of the festival on Saturday, throngs of Ife people came out in the sheer
delight of honouring their ancestor. Oranmiyan was the only oba to have reigned
in many separate kingdoms – as the first Alaafin
of Oyo, Osile of Oke-Ona in
Egbaland, Ile-Ife and Benin. With this legendary status, Oranmiyan Festival is
being projected as a symbol of unity among the Yoruba nation. His warlike
nature ensured that he did not only conquer, but he also ruled over the conquered
people and spread his leadership skills among them.

During
the festival, Oranmiyan’s most prominent symbol, Opa Oranmiyan or Oranmiyan staff or obelisk on Oroto Street, Ife, played
a unifying and rallying role. Although the Ooni
himself was supposed to receive obeisance from chiefs and other obas, it
was believed that age and possible ill-health prevented him from coming out to
be part of the overflowing love and adoration his illustrious ancestor
generated among his people. But his palpable absence did not dampen the
enthusiasm of the people. Knowledge that their beloved Olubuse II was at earshot from the momentous gathering was enough.

Many
prominent chiefs clad in flowing white agbadas
sat in rows on one side of the famous staff abode, as it towered into the sky.
Several men and woman came in to offer prayers and seek their ancestor’s
favours in various ways and promptly threw in money at the base of the obelisk
as tokens of appreciation. It was such moving spectacle as both young and old
showed devotion to their venerated ancestor, whom they’d also deified.

On Oroto
Street, where Oranmiyan Staff is located, scores of Osun State’s Apalara Brigade stood in rows of two as
guard of honour to those moving in and out of the area, where police had cordoned
off to stop vehicular movement in and out of the street.

Earlier,
two colourful floats had done their rounds in major streets and avenues of Ife,
with two giant replicas of Oranmiyan Staffs in tow. It was quite a spectacle to
behold.

At the Ooni’s palace ground, scores of dancers
and drummers were on hand to entertain the innumerable visitors who had made it
a mecca of sorts. Dane guns boomed just outside the huge tent that was erected
in the vast palace ground. In some other parts of the country, canons would have
be used; they obviously boom louder than Dane guns. But the Dane guns just met
the purpose, as they usually heralded a momentous event such as this one, the
celebration of a great ancestor that departed centuries ago, but whose footprints
remain forever indelible in the consciousness of the Yoruba race.

BACK at Oroto Street, just outside where
Oranmiyan Staff enclosure, the final contest of drummers was in full swing.
Traditional Yoruba drumming was promoted as a major highlight of the festival.
Flabsy Travels and Tours Ltd conceived it to serve as a way of sustaining one
of the many arts of Yoruba origin. Yoruba’s gungun,
bata and dundun drums are
reputable talking instruments that closely mimic spoken Yoruba language and
they require a great deal of dexterity to play them to desired effect.

Different
groups applied to partake in the contest. With former football coach, Chief
Festus Onigbinde and folk artist and Jimi Solanke as judges, the stage was set
for a memorable outing. The event was held on an open street with the local
people taking part either in applauding or deriding the drummers or swaying to
the throbbing drums, it made the contest an inclusive one. At a point,
Onigbinde got up from his judge’s chair to show what dancing skills he
possessed. The crowd cheered endlessly. Also, stirred to distraction by the
throbbing drums, three local Ife women stepped into the small arena to give the
audience value for their time, as they wriggled, twisted and did leg
calisthenics to the rhythms of the drums to the cheering delight of the crowd.

The
overall winner, Chief Jacob Adereti, got a tabletop fridge, the second runner
up took home a handbag generator and third place got pressing iron. But it is
strange how over four or five drummers will share these single winning items
that were provided by Grand Oak Ltd, makers of Seaman’s Schnapps.

The
previous evening at the forecourt of the Ooni,
both male and female ayo players had
taken their turns in a contest to determine the best Ife ayo players. The ayo was
carved the shape of a bottle of new-look Seaman’s Royale. With a cheering crowd
also at the players’ elbows, it provided great fun and entertainment. Winners
were also given prizes of generators, fridges, pressing irons and umbrellas
also provided by one of Oranmiyan Festival sponsors, Grand Oak Ltd.

THE overriding theme for Oranmiyan Festival was ‘Promoting
Yoruba Unity through her History’, which is apt as Oranmiyan symbolises the
cultural history of the Yoruba, its strong monarchical structure, which he
embodied in his reign in four disparate kingdoms. To amplify the symbolic
position Oranmiyan still occupies in Yoruba nation, the festival lecture was
titled, ‘Oranmiyan: What is a Name?’ It was held at Oduduwa Hall, Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and delivered by one of the monarchs whose kingdom
Oranmiyan ruled, Oke-Ona, Oba (Dr.) Adedapo Adewale Tejuoso, Karunwi III, the Osile Oke-Ona; he is only Yoruba monarch who bears the Oranmiyan name as title, a title Oba
Tejuoso said he got through divine revelation.

Before
the lecture, a libation was generously poured in honour of Oranmiyan by Alayeluwa Oba Adedapo Aderemi, Alayemore of Ido-Osun. He offered
prayers for the wellbeing of all Yoruba wherever they may be residing and for
the success of the festival.

At the
lecture, prominent Yoruba leaders enjoined all Yoruba to embrace peace and
promote unity among themselves, so as to fast track development in all parts of
Yoruba nation. In particular, Oba Tejuoso enjoined all Yoruba to stop all wars
and needless bickering and rivalries capable of derailing meaningful progress.

Tejuoso,
who affirmed his strong Christian bellief, and flanked by his three wives or oloris, lent a strong Christian leaning
to his exposition of the character of Oranmiyan and declared him to have had
excellent Christian virtues having also descended from the Jewish line. He
quoted many biblical passages to buttress his points. However, a section of the
audience wanted the oba to deliver his lecture in Yoruba, noting that Oranmiyan
didn’t speak or hear English during his time. But the Kabiyesi didn’t ascent to their demands, asking those who didn’t
understand English to ask their children instead to interpret for them.

Also,
with Tejuoso’s lecture tending more towards the Jewish origin of Oranmiyan and
not the traditionally held folk narratives, a section of the audience began to
leave the hall. He only expressed happiness that those who would remain would
have the benefit of getting a copy of the lecture in book form.

In particular, three Yoruba leaders,
governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, the Ooni, and Tejuoso said
Oranmiyan left important lasting legacies for the Yoruba people. Tejuoso described
him as nation-builder, bridge-builder of understanding and an excellent leader,
who deepened the institution of monarchy in Yorubaland.

Also Sijiwade highlighted the importance
of understanding history in sustaining and strengthening bonds of unity and
harmony and not division, stating, “Knowing the past helps us to understand the
culture of today. The celebration of our cultural heritage helps us to sustain
our own cultural identity”. He commended the governments in Yoruba states in
“assisting in maintaining the cultural identity and strengthening the emotional,
cultural and spiritual bonds that bind them to their origin, Ile-Ife, the
Source”.

Sijuwade cautioned against the
bastardization and politicisation of Yoruba tradition and culture and enjoined
children to recognise, respect and appreciate their cultural heritage. He also
tasked tourists to visit Ife to see the symbols of ancient Oranmiyan
paraphernalia of office including his Opa Oranmiyan among others.

Also, the governor of Osun State, Rauf
Aregbesola, who was represented by Secretary to Osun State Government, Moshood
Olelakan Adeoti, commended festival consultants, Flabsy Travel and Tours Ltd
and Ife people for celebrating Oranmiyan. While speaking on ‘Celebrating
Yoruba’s Common Heritage, Forging Common Front’, Aregbesola stated that
celebrating culture should serve as bond of unity and rally point for all
Yoruba people, noting that in celebrating Oranmiyan, “we’re identifying with
the character of Oranmiyan, who had adept leadership qualities, virtues of
compassion, which leaders of today should emulate”.

Aregbesola said it was these qualities in
Oranmiyan that made him to adopt him as his campaign symbol and which also
enabled him to defeat his strong political enemies during his tussle for Osun
State governorship. He also noted that celebrating Oranmiyan would bring
enlightenment to young people and tasked all Yoruba people to use the festival
to fortify the walls of unity and forge a common tie. He harped on the
importance of using festivals in Nigeria to accelerate economic development by
developing all tourism sites and actively promoting same, so as to attract
tourists from all over the world.

The
Federal Government, Aregbesola noted, should strengthen security, provide
infrastructure, help states to develop tourism sites across the country so as
to attract tourists as a means of boosting economic development.